Electrohydrodynamics and Chemical Analysis of Plasma-treated Solutions – HYDROCAPS

The HYDROCAPS project focuses on understanding the fundamental interactions between cold atmospheric plasma jets and liquid solutions, specifically investigating the electrohydrodynamic (EHD) effects and liquid chemistry. Cold plasma technology, increasingly applied in areas such as pollutant degradation, wound healing, and agriculture, produces reactive species when interacting with water, offering promising sustainable solutions. The project aims to characterize the EHD phenomena in plasma-treated liquids, including the generation of electrical charges and their impact on liquid flow. Additionally, the project seeks to analyze the chemical changes resulting from plasma treatment, particularly the formation, transport, and effects of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. The project will investigate how EHD phenomena influence the distribution of these reactive species, optimizing their application in environmental, medical, and agricultural fields. HYDROCAPS will be first implemented through the design and operation of plasma jet systems for experimental studies, combining Particle Image Velocimetry, Schlieren imaging and absorption spectroscopy. Three work packages will then drive the research, covering chemical and EHD characterization, and the upgrading of these diagnostics to achieve the spatiotemporal analysis of the generation and transport of reactive species in liquid solutions relevant for various applicative perspectives. This interdisciplinary research will provide unique insights for the optimization of plasma-liquid interactions. Ultimately, HYDROCAPS seeks to understand and improve the use of plasma-treated solutions for industrial, agricultural, water treatment and biomedical applications, paving the way for more efficient plasma-based technologies.